No matriculation without proof of health insurance coverage

Before matriculating, every applicant must obtain a health insurance certificate from their health insurance scheme. The health insurance scheme will certify that the student:

is insured or

is exempt (versicherungsfrei) or has been exempted (von der Versicherungspflicht befreit) from health insurance or

is not obliged to hold health insurance (nicht versicherungspflichtig)

The health insurance certificate must be provided along with the university matriculation documents. Students who are continuing studies at another university must provide a new health insurance certificate.

Attention: A health insurance card or a copy of the card, a membership certificate or a certificate from a private health insurance company is not sufficient. The insurance certificate should look like this (sample):

Insurance certificate

This certificate must be submitted along with the university matriculation documents.

Name, address (and signature) of the health insurance scheme Date

Mr/Mrs

Surname, first name, date of birth,

Street, house number,

Postcode, town/city,

( ) is insured with us.

( ) is exempt or has been exempted from health insurance or is not obliged to hold health insurance.

Insurance number

Health insurance scheme company ID number:

Which health insurance scheme is responsible for issuing the insurance certificate?

The following health insurance schemes are responsible for issuing the insurance certificates:

For people who already hold health insurance: their health insurance scheme

For students who are obliged to hold health insurance: their statutory or chosen health insurance scheme

For students who are exempt or not obliged to hold health insurance: the health insurance scheme with which insurance was last held, otherwise one of the health insurance schemes that would be responsible or could be chosen if the person was obliged to hold health insurance

For a student who has been exempted from the obligation to hold health insurance: the health insurance scheme that made the exemption.

Insurance facts

a) Obligation to hold health insurance

Students who are registered at state or state-recognised universities in the Federal Republic of Germany are required to hold health insurance. This also applies to students registered in Germany who are resident or habitually reside abroad if there is no entitlement to benefits in kind due to international or inter-state law. The obligation to hold health insurance applies until the end of the 14th semester, and at the latest until the semester in which the student turns 30.

Beyond this point, the obligation to hold health insurance continues if

the type of training,

family-related reasons,

personal reasons and

in particular, if the student obtained his/her university admission qualification via an adult education establishment, justify the age limit being exceeded or a require a longer period for studying the subject. For further information, contact your health insurance scheme.

Students who are working their way through university remain insured on student terms if they are notionally students, i.e. if they devote the majority of their time and effort to their studies. Conversely, anyone who is notionally an employee given the extent of their employment will be insured as an employee and not a student.

b) Family insurance

Students are not obliged to hold health insurance if they have family coverage under the statutory health insurance of their parents, spouse or registered partner. Children up to the age of 25 are entitled to family coverage if they are in an institution of higher education or vocational training. For more information on further prerequisites for family insurance, contact your health insurance scheme.

c) Exemption from the obligation to hold health insurance

If you are obliged to hold health insurance because of matriculating as a student, you can apply to be exempted from the statutory obligation to hold insurance. The application must be submitted to the health insurance scheme within three months of the commencement of the obligation to hold health insurance. The exemption may not be revoked and applies for the entire duration of the course.

d) Voluntary insurance

Students who no longer fall under the obligation to hold health insurance (e.g. because they have exceeded the maximum number of semesters/ the maximum age) may take out voluntary insurance. The prerequisite for this is that they were insured for at least 24 months without a break in the last five years prior to withdrawal, or for at least 12 months without a break directly prior to withdrawal. Continuing your membership of a health insurance scheme as a voluntary member further requires you to notify the health insurance scheme in writing within three months of withdrawal. For further information on voluntary health insurance, please contact your health insurance scheme.

e) Private health insurance

Students may exempt themselves from the obligation to hold health insurance and, for example, take out private health insurance. You should consider this decision carefully. The exemption cannot be revoked. It lasts at least as long as your studies. For further information, contact your health insurance scheme.

f) Foreign students

Foreign students in Germany are also required to hold health insurance. They may enter into a student health insurance agreement with any of the statutory health insurance schemes. European students may present evidence of health insurance coverage in their home country. Students from countries that have a social insurance agreement with Germany (EU and EEA states, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Tunisia, etc.) and are members of a statutory/state health insurance scheme there can have this confirmed by any of the statutory health insurance schemes here. They must present their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and the German statutory health insurance scheme will confirm their exemption from the statutory obligation to hold health insurance in Germany.

Students who have private health insurance in their home countries may terminate this coverage and take out German student health insurance from a statutory health insurance scheme. You may also exempt yourself from the obligation to hold health insurance and remain privately insured.

Services

Students and any jointly-insured dependants are entitled to benefits such as medical and dental treatment including dental prosthetics, medication, bandages, remedies and aids, hospital treatment, screening, services during pregnancy and for new mothers and services if care is needed. At the same time there is no entitlement to a sickness benefit.

Contributions

Students who are obliged to hold health insurance must pay their contributions to the relevant health insurance scheme for the respective semester in advance, prior to enrolment or re-registration. Individual health insurance schemes may apply different rules to payments. Students who fail to pay their contributions shall be refused matriculation or re-registration.

No contribution is due from students who have family insurance. The contributions payable by students who have voluntary insurance are governed by the regulations of the specific health insurance scheme. For further details on the amounts of the contributions, contact your health insurance scheme.

Choosing a health insurance scheme

Students who are obliged or entitled to hold health insurance have a choice between the following health insurance schemes:

AOK at their place of residence in Germany,

Any alternative health insurance scheme whose area of responsibility extends to the place of residence of the insured according to its constitution,

Vocational or guild insurance schemes, if this is provided for in their constitution and the insured lives in the area covered by the scheme,

The health insurance scheme of which the insured was last a member or had family coverage,

The health insurance scheme with which the spouse or registered partner is insured,

Any alternative scheme at the place where the university is based.

Students must notify the selected health insurance scheme accordingly, no later than two weeks after they become subject to the obligation to hold health insurance. Students with family insurance have no right to select - they are covered by the scheme chosen by the actual insured.

Where can I find further information about health insurance?

We only provide general information here in this overview. For further information, contact your health insurance scheme. It is obliged to provide information, advice and explanations under sections 13 - 15 of the first book of the German SGB (SGB I).